WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET
Like special effects in the movies, one of the more intriguing aspects of the
visually-oriented games we play can be summed up in a simple question: "How'd
they do that?" Although a player with even the most rudimentary knowledge of
programming techniques will be able to see something of what's happening, there
is still much that leaves us amazed and curious, especially with today's
sophisticated graphics.
When we've become jaded, when we think we've seen everything, when the thought
of trying to program our own game creation fades away, a new question forms in
the mind: "How can I get my hands on the development system (insert your
favorite software company here) used?"
No software developer in its right mind is going to voluntarily part with its
game creation system, but some companies have offered us the next best thing:
construction sets. And from Strategic Simulations comes the WARGAME CONSTRUCTION
SET (WCS), designed by Roger Damon, creator of FIELD OF FIRE and NAM. (This
review is based on the 8-bit Atari version; Commodore 64/128, Atari ST, and
IBM-PC version notes follow.)
WCS comes on two disks, and consists of two segments: Game and Editor. The Game
gives the player the opportunity to load and play any of the eight scenarios
provided on the Scenario disk, or load and play a scenario designed with the
construction segment of WCS, the Editor. Since the prepared scenarios are not
what make WCS what it is, we'll get to them later.
The Main Menu of the Editor has eight options: Disk Access (loading and saving
scenarios), Draw Map, Edit Map Colors, Edit Friendly Units, Edit Enem Units,
Deploy Units, Print Map, and Choose Scale.
The Draw Map option features a blank 60x60 grid on which we place the terrain
icons that will become the simulation area. There are terrain icons for Woods,
Roads and Rivers, blown or intact Bridges, Buildings, and Mines.
The Edit Map Colors option lets the player alter the colors of Trees, Roads,
Background, Units, and Water. The default colors are probably the most
true-to-life, but the ability to change them is useful for different visual
effects.
Edit Friendly Units/Edit Enemy Units allows you to set the Firepower, Defense,
Assault, Movement, Strength, Range, Fire, and Unit type for up to 31 units.
From the Deploy Units option, the player selects icons that will represent
Friendly and Enemy units on the map, and places them in their starting
positions.
All options, that is, the factors involved, are more complicated than I've
indicated here, although not quite as complicated as an SSI simulation you might
have played in the past. None of the options, or my simplified explanations of
them, contains the essence of WCS (or any construction set, for that matter): an
idea.
Part V of the instruction manual is a detailed tutorial which takes the user
from idea (a good-over-evil D&D fantasy) to ready-to-play game. This important
and valuable section includes maps of the terrain, short sketches of the
characters, and charts that indicate the attributes of both Friendly and Enemy
units.
WCS can handle various scenarios, from historical battles to fantasy and
science fiction. The idea and its fruition are up to the user, which is what
makes WCS so good. The manual and its tutorial are great helps for realizing an
idea, and you don't have to be a genius to create a decent simulation. You will
have to do a lot of thinking and imagining, and consider a multitude of relevant
attributes and factors, and do a lot of research for a historical scenario, but
then that's what heads are for.
The eight prepared scenarios illustrate the flexibility of WCS: World War II
(Rommel's 88s and Abuse on the Meuse), World War III (Fulda Gap), the Civil War
(Bull Run), terrorist kidnappings (Delta Force Rescue), the 12th Century (Castle
Siege), a river crossing (To Cross a River), and science fiction (Return to
Beta4) are all represented. Each of these scenarios can be loaded into the
Editor to be studied (which is recommended), and altered and saved. (Roger
Damon, Arlon Harris, Jeffry A. Johnson, and Robert W. Calfee designed the
scenarios.)
In addition to the tutorial, the manual contains guidelines, hints, and
comments on game design, which offer insights into simulations and their
creation from, as they say, the horse's mouth.
I'd be foolish to say that WCS duplicates or even comes close to duplicating
the development system SSI uses: They've spent a lot of time creating
simulations and building up time-saving programming routines. And they can't
tell us everything. Still, WCS provides us with everything we need to create a
complicated scenario -- except the idea, which is how it should be.
Having spent some time with ADVENTUREWRITER, I can assure you that working with
a construction set that gives us everything but the idea is not all that easy.
There's a lot of planning to be done, a lot of false starts, a lot of
backtracking. Playing a ZORK or a BATTLE OF ANTIETAM and then climbing into an
adventure or simulation construction set hoping to equal or better the pros is
an exercise in futility. There's a tendency to think bigger thoughts than a
construction program can accommodate. This doesn't make things easier but it
sure helps focus the attention, which also makes WCS worthwhile.
I've given simplified explanations of WCS's options: Everything is
joystick-controlled, but the factors and attributes of each option are more
detailed and involved than I've indicated here. If you have no interest in game
design, well, there's no construction set you'll find sufficiently appealing to
buy. If you are interested in game design, you should give WCS serious
consideration: It's as revealing a game design program as you're likely to find,
unless SSI suddenly goes mad and bequeaths us its development system.
COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES
Although the C64 version of SSI's WCS is, for the most part, the same as the
Atari version, there are some differences. The manuals are identical, but the
C64 version offers a card explaining the changes.
The C64 version comes on one write-protected double-sided disk, as opposed to
the Atari's two disks; the Atari Scenario Disk is not write-protected and thus
can be used to save games or scenarios. The C64 Editor and Game programs are on
side 1, and the eight ready-to-play scenarios are on side 2.
A joystick in port 1 controls both versions, but the function keys differ on
the Commodore: F3 replaces Atari's Option key; F5 replaces Select; and F7
replaces Start.
Disks can be formatted from the Disk Access selection of the C64 Main Menu, a
feature absent from the Atari version (presumably because you can "save" to the
Scenario disk). On the C64, you'll need a blank, formatted disk to save games
and the scenarios you've created.
In the C64 Editor, the F3 key is used to exit previously selected Main Menu
options. The Draw Map option is the same, except for the "woods edging
facility," which is a neat function. After you've selected one of the woods
icons and placed it on the screen to your satisfaction, move the cursor back to
the icon bar, make sure you've selected a woods icon, and press Select (F5 on
the Commodore). What this does is smooth out the woods on the screen, "thinning"
them on the edges so they appear less blocky. This works well and eases terrain
creation.
If you've loaded one of the ready-to-go scenarios into the editor, you can
remove it completely by plugging the joystick into port 2 and pressing the
button. This works the same on the C64, but I mention it because I found an
alternative to plugging and unplugging the joystick: If you have a "dongle"
handy (the one that keeps PAPERCLIP from freezing will do the trick), insert it
into port 2, wait a moment, then remove it; the scenario will be blanked out.
When editing map colors, the joystick performs differently on the C64, which
has 16 colors but no gradations in hues. Thus, moving the stick left or right
will alter the Commodore's colors, while moving it up or down selects the
terrain feature (instead of a different shade as on the Atari).
From the Edit Friendly Units selection, duplicating a unit that transports
another, or duplicating a dug-in unit, will not allow the newly-created unit to
transport or dig-in -- you will have to redo this. Redeploying a dug-in unit
will keep it dug-in.
(These last two changes will undoubtedly make more sense when you actually use
the Editor.)
Another addition to the C64 Main Menu lets you play a game without having to
reboot. Artillery can be used in both 1- and 2-player games, while artillery on
the Atari is limited to 2-player games.
ATARI ST VERSION NOTES
The major difference between the WCS editor in the Atari ST version and that of
its counterparts lies in the use of the mouse. Pointing and clicking on a Main
Menu Editor option selects that option and leads to a screen from which you can
make changes to your scenario creation.
The editor itself is a Desktop-like window. Clicking on or dragging the
horizontal/vertical bars scrolls the terrain. F4 erases the current map, F2
automatically rough-edges woods and rivers, and F5 (or the Window Enlarge box in
the upper right corner) toggles the zoom map feature.
The colors of each map terrain feature can be changed by first selecting Ed
Colors from the Main Editor Menu, choosing a terrain feature, then clicking on
the numerals that represent red, green, and blue values (the same as you would
do from the control panel on the ST Desktop).
Any of the terrain maps for the eight game scenarios can be loaded into the
Editor, then cleared or altered and saved, although you will need to format a
"save" disk before booting the program.
The neat battle sounds WCS generates are the product of G.I.S.T., a sound
driver from Synthetic Software that's available from the ANTIC magazine catalog.
Not only does the Atari ST version of SSI's WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET retain the
creative possibilities inherent in all other versions, it looks much better, is
easier to use, and is not copy-protected. Before using the program, though, you
will be asked a question whose answer is found only in the instruction manual.
IBM-PC VERSION NOTES
WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET for the IBM should run on any IBM PC, XT, AT, and most
compatibles; the game should run on _all_ 100% compatibles, but SSI does not
indicate that it will. WCS requires at least 256K, and offers CGA, EGA, and
Tandy 16-color graphic modes. SSI doesn't tell us the oldest DOS version that we
can use with this game, but I would guess that anything from 2.1 up would work
fine. WCS is supplied on 3-1/2" and 5-1/4" disks.
The IBM version comes with a reference card that explains the differences
between this version and the version used in the manual. The program has
off-disk copy protection; i.e., in order to play the game, you must correctly
respond to certain questions. The disks copy easily.
I found the "CGA/MCGA or 64K EGA" graphics option to be very poor. The color
was much better using the "256K or EGA" option, but the resolution was the same.
The game play was very similar to the other versions reviewed above. Although
SSI warns players of possible delays, I didn't notice many lulls (and I'm using
one of the slower 286s at 12Mhz). The program runs smoothly, but moving all the
individual units does become tedious. If you love wargames, then be sure to
purchase WCS: Your imagination can run wild. But be sure you do love
wargames...or you may find WCS to be a somewhat dull.
WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET is published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. and
distributed by Electronic Arts.
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